Family calls murder defendant crazy in final day of testimony

Published: Updated:

FORT MYERS – Michael Spiegel’s son says his father was crazy when he killed his ex-wife, Marilyn and her fiance, Harry Carlip on their boat, docked at Fort Myers Beach in May, 2014.

Members of Spiegel’s family testified Thursday that they were dealing with mental health problems long before the murders.

“He threw an oxygen tank through the plate glass window at the hospital,” Brett Spiegel, the defendant’s son, recounted of one hospital stay.

“He was crazy. He was paranoid,” said Spiegel’s brother Fred. “He thought they were trying to kill him, take his organs, take Marilyn’s organs.”

The problems, they say, began when Spiegel went through multiple hospitalizations for a variety of physical health problems. Spiegel’s son and brother both indicated he was having adverse reactions to his medication; they also said the family once kept him hospitalized involuntarily for a week.

“He loved her and wanted to be with her,” Brett said referring to his mother, “and he literally could not understand that. Things unraveled so quickly and she didn’t want to be with him anymore.”

Psychologist, Paul Kling, said he diagnosed Spiegel with a psychotic disorder because of a medical condition, something, he says, can be brought on by stress. Specifically, the stress of knowing his ex-wife was about to get re-married to someone else.

“Given everything we’ve heard so far about Dr. Spiegel’s relationship with his ex-wife,” Kling testified, “I would consider that to be a stressful event.”

The prosecution argued inconsistencies in the evaluation of Spiegel’s mental health. They say he was well aware of what he was doing.

Closing arguments start tomorrow morning at 8:00 am, followed by jury deliberation.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.